^ Carbs are a natural part of our diet. The only thing is that their availability changes with the seasons, and most natural foods contain much less net carbs than we eat today. I don't agree with Griff at all when he says that carbs are poison. To some people? Sure. But you can test that for yourself easily. It also depends on the situation. If you consume carbs directly after a strenuous workout, you probably won't have any problems - unless you're a diabetic or for some other reason incredibly sensitive to them. For some people it's also not the carbs themselves that cause the problems, but gluten and/or lectins that are contained in grain based food. These people might react extremely negative to bread, while they might show no reaction to potatoes.

Well, you can have your blood sugar checked to be on the safe side - if it doesn't go out of whack when you eat carbs, I would say that you won't have any problems when you indulge in them occasionally. Always balance them with fat or protein in order to lower the glycemic impact though.

And now I'm off to eat some nectarines ... I've already had a nice protein shake, so I don't expect any trouble.

This whole carb thing is way over-blown, it has a similar ring to it of the "low fat" campaign. I never refer to "this is what Grok did," but to this I'll make an exception. We are alive today due to Grok surviving. He accomplished this by eating whatever was available in order to get enough food to live, be it mass quantities of meat, vegetables, fruits, or nuts or seeds. I'm 100% positive that eating some fruit and vegetables everyday will in no way, shape, or form slowly kill you; they contain many vitamins and minerals that are good for you. Like people have said, everyone's situation is different and some can eat more than others, but to completely write them off is both ridiculous and unnecessary.

People, enjoy your fruits and vegetables and don't sweat the small stuff.

Native Americans

With all due respect, Native American tribes frequently used honey as a sweetner and fruits as flavoring ingrediants for main dishes. These tribes had incredible health and vitality and no pancreatic issues.

If God made it....it can't be all that bad! If man made it.....don't eat it!

There are hunter gather cultures who ate plenty of starchy paleo carbs and were perfectly healthy, with no diabetes, no obesity , no insulin resistance, and plenty of food, and only moderate exercise. It's not the "carbs". It's the wheat, the cornstarch, the sugar, the vegetable oil, and the processed food. If you are diabetic, there is no question that glucose is poison. But then your body has a different hormonal environment than those without diabetes or insulin resistance. CW made a huge mistake equating the bodies of the regular population with the bodies of a few old men with heart disease and recommending a low fat diet for everyone. Let's not make the same mistake and say that carbs are poison for everyone. It simply isn't true. Scientifically. Hands down.

This is so true. If one want to follow 0 carbs for overweight, diabetic, or any other reason, then fine, however, insisting that eating carbs (from primal sources and saying within the 100-150 range) will eventually kill your pancreas is just plain silly and unscientific. I am not here to judge anyone diet. The PB is different for each person, which is good thing because we are not robots programmed to eat the same way.

However, I doubt one will get diabetes, become overweight, or kill their pancreas if one follows the PB and consume 100-150 grams of carbs (for a healthy individual already reached there weight goal). Many here do not eat fruit. Fine. Many here do not eat vegetables. Fine. Many here do not eat fruits and vegetables and are true carnivores. Fine. But let us to stick what's works best for us and not make silly statements that has no support in the PB and science.

Isn't this fear of carbs the same fear CW wants to impose on us about Saturated Fat, dietary cholesterol, and meats in general?

I guess in every aspect of life, you will find a extremist.

You got it head on. I eat plenty of veggies, and healthy fruits too. They are full of the essential micronutrients that are body needs. Griff has gone a little overboard. If one does not want to eat carbs, then fine. But do not scare people away from them! You will NOT slowly die if you eat loads of veggies. Its the excessive amounts of carbs - going over 200 for most people that will cause damage. Everyone is different but everyone can handle around 100 grams of carbs. If you are diabetic then lower the amount - but don't avoid veggies unless you simply want to speed up the weight loss.

Originally Posted by RSL

Griff, I'm new around here and I've read a lot of the things you have said, and found them to be well balanced. But I think I am missing something...

Are you saying that if a person eats any carbs at all, that they are destroying their pancreas? Even if they eat a nice veggie salad once a day, like Mark recommends, that sooner or later they will develop diabetes? I'm not wanting to jump into the fray, so to speak, I'm just confused about that line of reasoning.

I've very sorry about the circumstances of your father's death. I have suffered loss, too, and my grandmother was diabetic. Did your father eat primally, and eating a reasonable amount of vegetables and a little fruit caused him to develop diabetes? Does this happen to otherwise healthy individuals?

If this is a true fact, then I am in serious trouble. I eat around 20-30 carbs per day, all from vegetables, a tiny amount of berries, and the rest from eggs and cream and such, a little cheese once a week or so... Will this cause me to develop diabetes and destroy my pancreas? Have I misunderstood? Is your recommendation to all of us that we eat zero carb for the rest of our lives or die a horrible death a reaction to the loss you suffered, or is it based on some research you have done or are aware of? If there is research, I would like to read it. Seriously. I'm not trying to be cute. I want to know everything there is to know about this subject.

Please do not be worried. You are perfectly fine with 20-30 grams of carbs per day. You will be fine if you double or triple that amount. I get up to 150 grams of carbs a day all from veggies, fruits, and some nuts and seeds. While I don't need to lose weight, the veggies are essential to someones diet.

I feel sorry for Griff because of the problems his family has had but he did go way overboard. No need to scare others away. The bottom of the primal blueprint food pyramid has veggies and fruits at the bottom for a reason...